RECOGNIZING A LUXURY COUNTERFEIT...
Recognizing a counterfeit bag is never very hard, it is obvious that the hawker who sells Vuittons for €10 is not selling originals. But the problem is sometimes more delicate, particularly when shopping online, second-hand, etc.
A phenomenon that visibly affects all areas. 😉
Luxury counterfeiting is a real problem for brands. Not only because of lost sales, since the person who pays €10 for a Vuitton copy would never have bought an original anyway, but above all because of the damage inflicted on the brand image. Indeed, the famous monogram Vuitton bag has been copied so much, so much so that everyone seeing a bag like this wonders about the authenticity of the item.
More than the product, it is generally the appearance of the person which will determine the judgment: the copied bag carried by an old moneyed lady will appear original, even though it is a copy; just like an original worn by a kitten in a tracksuit will seem fake, a question of consistency . But let's not kid ourselves, this smoke and mirrors only work (very) far.
Counterfeit model which, at first glance, does not seem particularly fake...
... but compared to an authentic piece like this, we can clearly see a difference in the quality of the canvas, the finesse of the monogram, and the depth of the colors.
Label of an authentic model
Label of a counterfeit model
We can clearly see that the appearance of the label is different and that the printing is not the same, but above all we see that the silver thread does not have the same appearance. Let's zoom in on the image to check this impression.
It's not very clear in the photo, but if you make a little effort, you will guess letters in the boxes which form the word DIESEL.
Whereas on the counterfeit, it is a simple silver thread.
Diesels are not always "made in Italy", and the fact that another country appears does not necessarily mean that it is a counterfeit, quite the contrary. Even if they are made in China, factories will have no qualms about putting “made in Italy” on counterfeit models.
RECOGNIZING AN COUNTERFEITING VIA ITS PACKAGING
In terms of packaging, here are the labels:
Label copied from a RABOX model, the print quality is good and the colors do not bleed, it's really deceptive!
But the original label looks like this, which has absolutely nothing to do with it.
RECOGNIZING AN COUNTERFEIT BY THE QUALITY OF THE GARMENT
But the problem is not limited to the label, you will see that the overall quality is not at all the same.
From this interior view, it's difficult to tell the difference between the original and the counterfeit, except in terms of color. Now let's look at the rivets which, for once, are also misleading.
And yet, as strange as it may seem, the original is the last photo! The first is the counterfeit model, although "Diesel" appears on the button. So be wary of these kinds of details. 🙂
The quality of the canvas and the finishes will be your best ally in spotting the fake from the real thing. The standards of counterfeiters being well below those of real manufacturers, the difference will really allow you to realize whether or not a product is authentic.
Note that these tips apply when choosing jeans in stores: if you see originals in stores, but presenting the characteristics of counterfeits (poor quality fabrics, sewn haphazardly, etc.), run away from them. On this occasion, I recommend reading the article how to choose your jeans.
When you order on the internet (especially on Ebay), pay attention to all these details, this will avoid being sold a counterfeit!
It's actually the worst thing to wear, if you can't afford designer jeans, get a nice raw one from Zara. For €40, it's cheaper and better quality.
COUNTERFEITING, OKAY. BUT KNOW HOW TO DRESS WELL?
Do you recognize the counterfeit? Alright ! But what about choosing the right pieces for your body type, the right cuts, the right colors, etc.? ? In short, everything your mother never told you.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE AN COUNTERFEIT: THE EXAMPLE OF THE DIESEL CASE
No need to dwell on Vuitton bags, if you want them, go to an official store. The problem of jeans is a little more thorny, concerns us more, and that is what we are going to focus on.
In fact, in recent years I have noticed a clear improvement in the presentation of counterfeit jeans: same plastic packaging, well-made counterfeit labels - with very good printing quality, models resembling the original quite faithfully, etc. In short, the whole arsenal to be cheated in beauty (on this subject, and judging by the Ebay evaluations of certain sellers whom I know for sure that they sell counterfeits, many people do not seem to mind report in view of the number of positive evaluations).
We will now study the case of the Diesel brand, which seems interesting to me for several reasons: it is the most counterfeited, and obviously the most purchased on resale sites, for a price approximately identical to the destocked models. Faced with this phenomenon, Diesel has implemented an effective system for recognizing counterfeiting on the label: microstitching.
RECOGNIZING A COUNTERFEIT... BY THE LABEL
What is microstitching? You must have noticed the presence, on all Diesel jeans, of a label with a silver band. Well this headband helps to determine for sure whether the jeans are authentic or not.
Indeed, if your jeans are original, fine letters will appear in boxes of the silver strip, suggesting the word "DIESEL". Otherwise, it will just be a simple silver wire. Simple and efficient. A good example is worth more than a long speech, I was able to obtain two Zathan models, one authentic and the other not, in order to compare them.